Words of Worship: Hope

hope (noun) - desire accompanied by expectation of obtaining what is desired or belief that it is obtainable

Synonyms: assurance, confidence, dependence, faith, stock, trust

Antonyms: apprehension, bleakness, despair, pessimism, skepticism

Hope is the quiet assurance that God is already present in the places we fear are empty. It's not wishful thinking or blind optimism, but instead a steady confidence rooted in His unchanging character. When circumstances feel uncertain and prayers seem to go unanswered, hope reminds us that our Father is still working beyond what we can see. Just as dawn slowly pushes back the darkest night, His promises gently outlast our doubts. Whatever you are carrying, let hope anchor your heart not in outcomes, but in the faithful One who holds them.

This week's post includes seven songs that discuss hope along with Scripture references that inspired them and that I was led to with each entry. All Scripture passages are from the New Living Translation of the Holy Bible.

No Longer Slaves (Live) by Bethel Music, Jonathan David & Melissa Helser (written by J. Helser, M. Helser, B. Johnson, J. Case)

Featured on Bethel's 2015 live album We Will Not Be Shaken with vocals from worship leader couple The Helsers, this song reminds us that God isn’t distant, disappointed, or silent. He’s with you, strong enough to save and gentle enough to sing over you. Hope grows when we remember whose voice has the final word: not fear, but the God who delights in us.

You unravel me with a melody/You surround me with a song/Of deliverance from my enemies/’Til all my fears have gone/I’m no longer a slave to fear/I am a child of God/I’m no longer a slave to fear/I am a child of God

Zephaniah 3:17 For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.

Ain't No Grave (Live) by Bethel Music & Molly Skaggs (written by M. Skaggs, M. Helser, C. Ely, J. Helser)

Featured on Bethel's 2019 live album Victory with vocals from worship leader Molly Skaggs, this song declares a defiant truth: death does not get the final word. If God can defeat death, He can carry you through whatever feels lifeless to you right now. Let hope rise not because circumstances are strong, but because God is.

Oh, shame is a prison as cruel as a grave/Shame is a robber, and he’s come to take my name/Oh, love is my Redeemer lifting me up from the ground/Love is the power where my freedom song is found/There ain’t no grave gonna hold my body down/There ain’t no grave gonna hold my body down/When I hear that trumpet sound, I’m gonna rise up outta the ground/There ain’t no grave gonna hold my body down

Isaiah 40:7-8 The grass withers and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the Lord. And so it is with people. The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.

Back To Life by Bethel Music & Zahriya Zachary (written by Z. Zachary, B. Johnson, P. Wickham, C. Davenport, R. Morgan, B. Fielding)

Featured on Bethel's 2021 live album Homecoming with vocals from worship leader Zahriya Zachary, this song speaks to hope not coming from trying harder, but from dying and rising again with Christ. The parts of us weighed down by shame, fear, and strife were never meant to survive. They were meant to die so something better could live.

I won’t forget the moment I heard You call my name/Out of the grip of darkness into the light of grace/Just like Lazarus, oh, You brought me back to life/And where there was dead religion, now there is living faith/All of my hope and freedom are found in Jesus’s name/Just like Lazarus, oh, You brought me back to life/No longer I who live, but Christ in me/For I’ve been born again, my heart is free/The hope of Heaven before me, the grave behind/Hallelujah, You brought me back to life

Galatians 2:19-21 For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law - I stopped trying to meet all its requirements - so that I might live for God. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.

King of Kings by Brooke Ligertwood (written by B. Ligertwood, J. Ingram, S. Ligertwood)

Featured on Ligertwood's 2023 album EIGHT, this song remains one of my all time favorites not just in worship, but out of all music. Hope flows from knowing that what could not hold Jesus cannot hold us either. Because He lives, we can face tomorrow with unshakable hope.

In the darkness, we were waiting without hope, without light/Til from Heaven, You came running, there was mercy in Your eyes/To fulfill the law and prophets, to a virgin came the Word/From a throne of endless glory to a cradle in the dirt/Praise the Father, praise the Son/Praise the Spirit, Three in One/God of glory, majesty/Praise forever to the King of kings

Acts 2:24-28 But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip. King David said this about him: “I see that the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and my tongue shouts his praises! My body rests in hope. For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave. You have shown me the way of life, and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.”

Jesus Messiah by Chris Tomlin (written by C. Tomlin, D. Carson, E. Cash, J. Reeves)

Featured on Tomlin's 2008 album Hello Love, this song has been a favorite of mine since high school. Hope is found in this great exchange: our sin for His righteousness, our shame for His grace, our emptiness for His life. Jesus as our Savior, has already done what we never could, and that changes everything.

He became sin who knew no sin/That we might become His righteousness/He humbled Himself and He carried the cross/Love so amazing, love so amazing/Jesus Messiah, Name above all names/Blessed Redeemer, Emmanuel/The rescue for sinners, the ransom from Heaven/Jesus Messiah, Lord of all

II Corinthians 5:21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sins, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Getting Ready (Live) by Maverick City Music, UPPERROOM, & Naomi Raine f. Abbie Gamboa & Joel Figueroa (written by N. Solomon, A. Gamboa, O. Gamboa)

Featured on Maverick & UPPERROOM's 2020 live collaborative album You Hold It All Together with vocals by worship leaders Naomi Raine & Abbie Gamboa, this song captures a posture of hope: awakened hearts, prepared lives, and a people waiting not in fear but in love. Hope is choosing to believe that God is near, that He is coming, and that His joy is already set on you. We are not forgotten; we are beloved.

What an honor to be invited to the marriage the Lamb, to come and worship Him/Celebration, it’s the joining of the Bride and the Son, the two becoming one/All the prophecies fulfilled/In a moment, so we sing/Like the roar of many waters/Like the sound of rolling thunder/Hallelujah, give Him glory/For the marriage of the Lamb is coming/We’re getting ready/We’re getting ready

Isaiah 62:5 Your children will commit themselves to you, Jerusalem, just as a young man commits himself to his bride. Then God will rejoice over you as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.

Anchor of Peace by North Point Worship ft. Desi Raines (written by B. Coker, H. Balltzglier, S. Condrey)

Featured on North Point's 2019 EP Abundantly More with vocals from worship leader Desi Raines, this song reminds us that Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our sins; not just some of them, not just the easy ones, but all of them. Anchors don’t stop the storm, but they keep the ship from drifting. In the same way, Jesus doesn’t deny the weight of sin or brokenness - He absorbs it.

There’s a way back home for the wandering soul/There’s a peaceful camp for the restless one/And if you’re so far gone you can’t see the shore/Well, just lift your eyes and look to the Lord/‘Cause He’s walking on the water, He'll calm your raging sea/Oh, you don’t have to look no farther, He’s the hope that you need/Oh, if your sails are torn and tattered and the storm just won’t cease/Take hold of the hand of the Savior, He’s the anchor of peace/Oh, He’s the anchor of peace

I John 2:2 He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins - and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

I hope (no pun intended) that these songs were as much a blessing to you this week as they have been for me. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!